Red Cross offers week of disaster training

From June 17 – 22, the American Red Cross Central Kansas Chapter will host a premier disaster training opportunity for organizations responsible for responding to disasters.

The Kansas Disaster Training Institute sponsored by the American Red Cross will offer more than 50 courses for groups to build the disaster response capacity of Kansans and to let partner agencies learn from each other before disaster strikes.

"To offer this expansive course offering at no cost to the participant is an incredible opportunity," said Donna Meier Pfeifer with the American Red Cross. "It's our goal to bring all the partner agencies together so we can utilize best practices and ultimately help more people when they need us."

Taking place at the Pratt County Community College, the week-long institute will draw nationally renowned keynote speakers and instructors who will teach from their first-person experiences. Courses and keynotes range from helping rural counties recover to the future of disaster relief coordination. The Disaster Institute will cover all aspects of complex, multi-organizational responses the Midwest has become all too familiar with.

"Disasters are not the time for introductions, so we're bringing all the players to the table before something happens," Pfeifer said. "We know that when organizations approach a situation with realistic expectations, the end result is a better recovery for the community we're trying to help."

The Kansas Disaster Training Institute is free and open to the public, and people interested in helping communities are encouraged to register. Participants can visit www.redcross.org/centralkansas to read more about classes. Once at the site, they can register for one or more days, and each registration includes lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner and training materials for each course, but guests should bring their own pillow.

The deadline to register is May 25.

"We've been honored by the responses of people who've registered already," Pfeifer said. "This is a unique opportunity, and people at any level of a disaster response should make it a priority to be here."

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or join our blog at http://blog.redcross.org.